A traditional Mexican pozole as printed in our local newspaper today. The preparation time includes the overnight soaking of the peppers. Nixtamal is dried corn cooked with food-grade lime until it can be hulled. The softened, cooked corn can then be ground into masa for tortillas or tamales. Or it is left whole and cooked further to make pozole by putting the corn into a pot, adding water, and simmering until the kernels "pop" open. Canned hominy may be substituted, but since it's processed slightly differently the flavor isn't quite identical. Mexican-style canned hominy brands such as Juanita's and El Mexicano are processed in the traditional manner. Cooking time may be reduced if canned hominy is used. Supermarkets that stock Latino foods usually carry both canned Mexican-style hominy and fresh nixtamal, which is usually packed in 2 to 5 pound bags and found in the refrigerated section. it's also available at most tortillerias.